Strange But True: Rick Santorum's Wife Dated The Abortion Doctor Who Delivered Her

Tags

Rick Santorum’s fierce, unequivocal opposition to a woman’s right to choose has been one of the defining characteristics of his political career. Santorum’s wife Karen is also staunchly pro-life, opposing abortions even in cases of rape. She wasn’t always so dogmatic, however.

As the Philadelphia City Paperfirst reported in 2005, when Karen Santorum — then known by her maiden name, Karen Garver — met Rick she was living with Tom Allen, an OBGYN who co-founded Pittsburgh’s first abortion clinic. Allen is 41 years older than Santorum, and he was technically the first man she ever met: Allen was the doctor who delivered her when she was born in 1960.